Did you see that Geraldine Brooks has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction? I have March on my TBR pile. I have read a couple of other books by Brooks, but to be very honest I wasn't really sure about March when I bought it. I love the story of Little Women, but I wasn't so sure I was interested in reading a tale of the March sister's father (sorry, I know reverse sexism--I guess--very bad of me). I had heard good things about it, however, so I did buy it when it came out in paperback. I guess I will have to move it up the pile now that it has won such a prestigious award. It must be very good or it wouldn't have even been in the running.
Over the weekend I watched three of the four discs of Series One of The House of Eliott. I love it. It sounded good, but when I popped it into the DVD player it is not filmed like a movie--if that makes sense. I am not up on filmmaking terms, but it sort of had that theatrical production look to it--not like expensive cinematography? Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can help me out? After a while I stopped even noticing though, as the story itself is so enticing and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I would have watched the last disc, but I ran out of time. I am even considering watching it again before I have to take it back to the library. Now the problem is finding Series Two. Unfortunately my library doesn't own it. I have put in an ILL request--so fingers crossed I will get it that way. I would love to own both sets, but my budget won't allow it at the moment. I have also read that there is a series Three, but I have not found that it was released here in the US yet. I seem to remember reading only four episodes were even in Series Three (the first series has 12 episodes!), but I want to see them nonetheless! Has anyone seen all of them?
This weekend I had lots of plans as I had yesterday off. I feel like the only thing I accomplished was watching The House of Eliott! Why is it I can get more accomplished when I think I am pressed for time (during the work week), than I can over a long weekend? I did manage to finish one library book. I didn't get Book Five of Middlemarch read as I had hoped, but I am working on it now. I was telling a coworker about some of my current reads and she said I certainly sound ambitious. Perhaps I am just a little crazy actually. I think I feel like I am at loose ends myself as I have too many things going on at once and perhaps I need to slow down. I have a feeling I am not going to get as much of my "obligation reading"** finished as I would like. Both Snow and The Virginian (The Slaves of Golconda) are books that are going to be discussed at the end of the month (see Reading Matters and Necessary Acts of Devotion). I am one book behind schedule in the Middlemarch discussion, which we should complete the first week of May (see Reading Middlemarch). And I won't even go into how big my library book stack has gotten. Nearly every book on my sidebar list of current reads is one of the above (book club book or library book). Somehow my own piles have gotten lost in the shuffle. I think my goal in May should be to not read more than a couple of books at once (doubtful that will happen, but it is worth a thought)--and they have to be from my own stacks!! Off to sort my reading pile out...
**A little disclaimer--"obligation" reading probably isn't the very best of ways to describe these sorts of reads--they are the ones that have "due dates" on them, but please don't think I don't want to read them. I only read the ones I really want, but sometimes there is that added pressure when I know I need to get them done by a certain time.